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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062132">CORPSE! at the Cattery</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Candy/pseuds/Cloud_Candy'>Cloud_Candy</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Ham/pseuds/J_Ham'>J_Ham</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollyroll/pseuds/mollyroll'>mollyroll</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petra4President/pseuds/Petra4President'>Petra4President</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bassist!Sykkuno, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Singer!Corpse, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Sykkuno Protection Squad, written with friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:22:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062132</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Candy/pseuds/Cloud_Candy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Ham/pseuds/J_Ham, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollyroll/pseuds/mollyroll, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petra4President/pseuds/Petra4President</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Three million, one hundred twenty four thousand, eight hundred and twenty six seconds and counting down… </p><p>They were set to start their first ever tour the following week, which would stretch for three months as they drove around North America in a crowded bus and performed for their devoted fans. Three months…a sinking realization had his heart racing. </p><p>He would meet his soulmate on tour.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Corpse Husband/Sykkuno (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>430</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Server Simps</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>CORPSE! at the Cattery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okay_Boomer/gifts">Okay_Boomer</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this fic was co-written with our friends from the ♥corpsekkuno writers♥ server, each chapter will have a different(ish) set of creators, we really hope you'll like this!</p><p>we'd like to dedicate this with much appreciation for the OG corpsekkuno writer themselves, okay_boomer<br/>thank you for carrying the tag on your shoulders during the early days &lt;3<br/>((if you have discord we'd love to invite you to our humble writers server ;u;/))<br/>((no pressure))</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Written by petra4president, j_ham, Cloud_Candy, and me :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three million, one hundred twenty four thousand, eight hundred and twenty six seconds and counting down… </p><p>The shackles of fate weighed heavily every time he looked at it. Corpse usually preferred to ignore the timer on the inside of his left wrist, it never failed to give him anxiety. He refused to live with the exact date he would meet his soulmate hanging above him like the proverbial sword of Damocles. But sometimes he faltered. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, a brief calm moment in an otherwise hectic existence...he just couldn’t help himself and he would chance a glance at his bare wrist. </p><p>Three million, one hundred twenty four thousand, six hundred and ninety two seconds. He scratched at the soft skin with blunt fingernails, yet nothing changed. The small, bold numbers written just above his blue veins, taunting him. He knew very well what that meant. He had seven digits… meaning four months at absolute most. And he was nearing the lower end of those seven digits. His time of reckoning was drawing nearer and nearer every day, and there wasn’t a damn thing that he could do about it. </p><p>They were set to start their <em> first ever tour </em> the following week, which would stretch for three months as they drove around North America in a crowded bus and performed for their devoted fans. <em> Three months </em>…a sinking realization had his heart racing. </p><p>He would meet his soulmate on tour. </p><p>He took a long drink from his wine bottle as he considered the possibilities. Would it be one of their fans? He certainly hoped not…they meant well but could get rather <em> intense </em>. Then, maybe one of their stage-hands? It was a possibility. Taking a deep breath, he rearranged the beaded bracelets on his wrist so they would hide the timer again. </p><p>It would do him no good to start worrying now. Too many things happening at once would easily overwhelm him, and he had learned long ago to just take them in bit by bit. Plus this was very likely to be his last moment of respite before the chaos that usually ruled his life took over. Future Corpse could deal with pre-tour anxiety. The soulmate thing was also a problem for his future self to figure out. He stared out of the window in his apartment as the sun set and one more day came to an end. They had a shitload of last minute work to do as they prepared for the tour and, despite being relatively rich and pretty fucking famous, they were all still expected to help out as much as they could.</p><p> </p><p>By the time the sun peeked out from beyond the horizon, Corpse found himself at the Offline TV house, the band and the crew were finally ready to load up the tour bus. They had triple-checked their instruments, gathered costume bits from every corner of the house, and even pulled up directions to the location of their first hotel. The five band members and the four backstage team members stood and stared at the tour bus. Everyone was feeling a little anxious, obvious by the dark bags formed under Scarra’s eyes and the fact that Lily's nails were bitten short. Even Poki was looking a little off, with her makeup only half done and her hair pulled into a messy bun. However, despite the overwhelming nervousness, there was also undeniable excitement in the air. CORPSE! at the Cattery had gained a lot of popularity over the last year or so, and this was their first nationwide tour with their newfound fame. They’ve already had to add shows in nearly every city because tickets had sold out so quickly.  It was thrilling that they had such a large fanbase willing to support them. It was everything they’d ever dared to dream. </p><p>“Alright, well, we don’t have all day! Let’s get moving!” Scarra shouted suddenly, prompting everyone to begin moving their gear from the piles in the driveway into the tour bus and the attached trailer. Only Dave was left standing with a distant look in his eyes. When Corpse noticed his friend’s stillness, he walked over and got Dave’s attention.</p><p>“Hey dude, you feeling okay?” Despite Corpse’s best effort to be gentle, Dave still flinched. He looked at Corpse with wide eyes and mumbled, </p><p>“Yeah, just a bit tired. Everything is just so overwhelming.” Corpse hummed in agreement before gesturing over to the countless boxes that held everything from makeup to tasers.</p><p>“There’s a lot to get done, but if you need to sit for a little bit,  I’m sure everyone would understand.” Dave just shook his head, and was about to reassure Corpse that he was fine when Jack called out.</p><p>“Holy shit! Why is this box so heavy?” Everyone’s attention snapped to the Irishman as he struggled with a box, only to watch as he dropped it on his foot. Jack let out an impressive stream of curses as everyone started laughing. Michael jogged over and picked up the box with no trouble, which only made the group laugh harder. </p><p>“Seriously dude, what’s in there?” Jack wheezed as Michael put the box into the trailer. Michael just giggled like the psychopath he is and answered with a vague wave of his hand. Lily rolled her eyes and answered in his place.</p><p>“Michael thought it would be funny to fill a box up with rocks, just for shits and giggles. I told him not to, but.” she shrugged, defeated, as another round of laughter started up. As everyone was distracted, Corpse nudged Dave and raised a questioning eyebrow. Dave just gave Corpse a thumbs up, which seemed to be enough, as Corpse went to grab another box, hopefully one not filled with rocks. </p><p>That night, the OTV house felt empty. Everything useful was packed away in the tour bus, ready to leave in  the morning. The group sat in the living room, chit-chatting as Netflix played in the background. Corpse tried to keep his eye on Dave, just to make sure the other man was doing okay, but he eventually got swept up into the chaos that was his band. Soon enough, Scarra stood up and clapped to gain everyone’s attention.</p><p>“We have a very big day tomorrow, and I can’t have you guys being tired. Head to bed, and be ready to wake up at the crack of dawn.” There were some reluctant groans from around the room, but nobody protested. Everyone headed to their rooms, and within half an hour, the house was asleep. </p><p> </p><p>The day had finally come. Everything had been prepared and Corpse was excited. It wasn’t shown on his face as the black mask covered it, but it was evident in the lightness of his steps, the widened eyes, and the words that left his mouth.</p><p> “Woah.”</p><p>The bus itself was labeled CORPSE! at the Cattery. The name reminded him why he agreed to join the band; the band name, “Cattery” and the fucking cat ears. A glorious combination if you asked him. He walked inside, bringing his suitcase, and once again was stunned by the interior of the tour bus.</p><p>He had never been inside one and it looked much more cramped than he thought they would be, but at least they would be cramped in style right? Ha! Most of the decor was in blacks and creams, nothing spectacular, but it would do.  At least Scarra hadn’t held back with the budget this time, not like he ever did. </p><p>He made his way past the couches near the driver’s seat and cringed. </p><p>Most of the bunks had already been claimed, other than the one next to their only toilet and the two nearest the roof vent. He sighed in frustration. He could practically hear the flush sounds that would undoubtedly disturb his sleep. Maybe the ones nearest the vent would be marginally better… Despite it being closed, he could feel some air blowing in, so he could already imagine how cold he would be at night... All three remaining options sucked and he was pissed off, but maybe that’s what he got for packing late.</p><p>In the end, he chose to take the second option. Maybe if he wore extra layers at night it would help to keep him warm.</p><p> </p><p>Once everything had been settled, Brodin, their driver, started the bus. Some band members gathered in the lounge at the very back of the bus, others just chose to chill in their bunk. Rae was just scrolling on her phone, waiting for Poki to heat up some chocolate croissants. She found a post on instagram and suddenly, just like she’s done many times before,  just blurted what was on her mind.</p><p>“Hey, what if we found our soulmate in a hopeless place? Like, in the crowd. Could we be sure it’s them?” </p><p>The beeping of the microwave signaled that the pastries had been warmed up. Poki took them out and put them on the table. Some of the band members walked up to take a croissant and began eating on the couch seats they claimed. </p><p>“I haven’t met mine yet so I can’t really answer.” Poki said as she took a bite out of the croissant.</p><p>Lily held Michael’s hand as she looked at him, which earned her a smile from her boyfriend. “I met Michael when it was just the two of us... so I can’t answer either, sorry!” </p><p>Jack pointed out they probably would still notice their soulmate, if they paid close attention to the number on their wrist. The moment the count became 0, they just needed to lift their head and the person in front of them would be their soulmate. </p><p>They continued to chatter about their destined and Jack noticed Corpse had become a little tense. He then asked him what’s wrong and Corpse answered, “I think I am gonna meet my soulmate on the tour.” </p><p>The members were shocked and Rae almost screamed but her hands covered her mouth fast enough. She apologized profusely and swore that she didn’t mean to. Corpse chuckled and accepted her apology.</p><p>Lily, on the other hand, was excited and pestered him about it. “Are you sure? On what day is it? Oh my god, our Corpse will be meeting his soulmate soon.” She squealed.</p><p>“Do you think it’ll be a fan?” Rae had asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him. He just rolled his eyes at her, sipping on the boba tea he bought himself earlier. If it happened to be a fan, Corpse hoped it was one of the... less <em> intense </em> ones. </p><p>“Maybe it’ll be someone that works at the venue!” Jack helpfully supplied next. His shit-eating grin just proved he was enjoying making his friend suffer. Corpse loved Jack, but damn he could just be the worst sometimes. </p><p>“Ohh Corpse, imagine how romantic it would be if it were some stranger on the streets! You’d lock eyes with her, and you just feel the connection.” Yvonne swooned as she brought a hand up to her forehead. She leaned back onto Poki who just laughed at her over dramatic antics. Corpse tried to smile, but he just felt...off. He couldn’t explain it, what their merch girl just said was truly plausible. And he was fine with it at first until she got to the very last part. Statistically speaking, most soulmates were of the opposite gender... so it was only logical for his friends to refer to his soulmate as a <em> ‘she’ </em> but.... </p><p>Why did it feel so wrong?</p><p> </p><p>The mood had shifted and now there was some awkward tension in the air. Corpse felt like the questions were too much for him, and started to regret opening his fucking mouth. </p><p>Lily noticed Corpse was feeling uncomfortable and felt bad as she had been the one who bombarded him with questions in the first place.  She placed the cat ears on her head and started to hum to warm up her voice. Michael caught on and put on his ears too. Lily began to sing softly the song she wrote. </p><p>The rest followed along, even the ones who stayed in the bunks gathered around the lounge to sing along. Some put on their cat ears in a beautiful moment of band unity..</p><p>The mood brightened up and Corpse cheered up a little bit. They continued to another song, then another, and then another. Jack started to scream, and Rae quickly followed suit. Corpse saw that even Dave was smiling bright. Dave tapped his fingers to the beat and sometimes, he would even join along in the scream battle. They were all laughing and Corpse let himself loosen up. </p><p> </p><p>Soon after their little jamboree, Corpse retired to his bunk to marinate in his own self-doubt. Now, you might be asking, what could he possibly be uncertain about? He’s a star, his life is made out! Well, thank you for asking! Because not only does he have to worry about finding his soulmate when he’s the most busiest, but he also has to stress about the fact he is <em> on an acutal fucking tour. </em> This was his first one, he’s never sang live in front of people before, so he hasn’t had a gradual build-up to it like the rest of his bandmates. No, instead, he is getting essentially thrown into this without any practice what-so-ever. Corpse has no idea if his voice would be able to last an entire 3 hour session of him just singing and yelling at the audience (not to mention the hour of soundcheck they do before each venue), but now he has to do that almost <em> every night </em> for about <em> three whole fucking months. </em>Oh, but Corpse, you can just do lip syncing! Well no, because he wanted to deliver his fans what they paid for: a live performance. </p><p>Do you see why he’s anxious now? </p><p>If he didn’t get any sleep last night, he refused to tell his friends. And did his insomnia show when he helped them unload their equipment at the first venue? Absolutely. But at least they looked just as nervous as he was. This was their first big tour as well, with thousands upon <em> thousands </em> of people coming to watch them. But through it all, Lily was there to hype everyone up, and she did a damn good job at it. </p><p>Each member of the band wore their cat ears proudly, Corpse’s fingers running over his own based off of a sphynx cat. They weren’t in their full get up yet as they had to unpack everything for the next several hours. Even though Michael was their official stage hand, the rest of the band wasn’t mean enough to leave him to do it by himself (even if he had help from the staff at the venue). Which actually worked out well because arguably, they had way too many hands helping so their equipment got set up in far less time than it’d usually take. </p><p>And, since they had three hours to spare before the concert, they decided to spend an hour doing soundcheck now and the last two would be food and video games to kill their nerves. So, when everything was hooked up, they each took their place on stage. Corpse was in the center, though he wouldn’t stay there for the whole concert, Rae was to his right with Dave to his left. Jack was behind them on a raised platform for the drums with Lily to the drummer’s right. Michael, Scarra, Poki, and Yvonee stood offstage though when it was during the concert, Yvonne would be in her station to sell the merch with Poki as company. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s up all you beautiful fucking people.” He heard the deep rasp of his own voice fill the arena. “I hope you’re all ready to get fucking down tonight. Because we’re sure as hell happy to be here in Chicago to perform for you. Let loose, let’s start this shit and PUT ON YOUR FUCKING CAT EARS.”</p><p>For the soundcheck, they would only perform a couple of songs, not their entire setlist, and the all-too familiar sound of Dave starting to strum the beginning chords to <em> Miss YOU! </em> filtered through the speakers. Then, Rae’s electric guitar joined in at the same time as Jack’s drum. And as Corpse began singing the first verse, Lily’s keyboard could be heard in the background bringing it all together. To him, it sounded like everything was working properly, though Rae’s microphone was too loud when she finally joined in during the chorus to bring more life to the sound. Michael turned it down after the song and it sounded much better during <em> White Tee </em>. The upsurge in heat behind him told Corpse that Michael had, in fact, decided to do some fire visuals for the rehearsal. </p><p>Their most recent song, <em> E-Girls Are Ruining My Life </em>, was the first one where Rae had her own part. Despite the fact everyone else in the band told her otherwise, she always hated the sound of her singing and refused to do anything bigger than back-up vocals. But it seems something switched in her when she came into the studio one day with newfound confidence. With the approval of Scarra, Rae got to sing the second verse in E-Girls. </p><p>Seeing her now, singing it live with so much power and confidence warmed his heart. All the times they hung out, both just the two of them and with the rest of the band, she always skipped out on singing with them louder than what she usually does. Corpse was proud with how far she’s come as a singer and he just knew she would nail it during the live concert. </p><p>The last song of their soundcheck was not actually their own, but the most popular track of the band that’s inspired them in so many ways. Panic! at the Disco’s <em> High Hopes </em> would be the song they perform before their closer ( <em> E-Girls </em> as it was their most popular) and Corpse couldn’t find it more fitting to sing one of Panic!’s best tracks during the first venue. They all had agreed to cover one of their songs at each venue, to pay tribute to a band they all looked up to. </p><p>
  <em> Had to have high, high hopes for a living </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Shooting for the starts when I couldn’t make a killing </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Didn’t have dime but I always had a vision  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Always had high, high hopes </em>
</p><p>Because Corpse’s vocal ability was nowhere near as impressive as Brendon Urie’s, they dropped the key and changed it to sound a lot more ‘rockish’ than it actually is. Which means they added screaming in random parts that sounded stylistically good (done by Rae) and changed the genre to compliment the vocal fry he sang with better. They probably should’ve picked an easier band to cover, but Corpse had a lot of emotional attachment to P!ATD. </p><p>
  <em> Mama said  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Fulfill the prophecy </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Be something greater </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Go make a legacy  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Manifest destiny </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Back in the days  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We wanted everything, wanted everything  </em>
</p><p>Slowly, the more he sang, the more reality began to sink in. The beaded bracelets covering those numbers felt all too heavy and the way the plastic rubbed against his sensitive skin felt as if it were burning. The empty stadium before him is a daunting reminder of what’s to come during the tour. Of the destiny he’s been too afraid of embracing. </p><p>
  <em> Mama said, don’t give up </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s a little complicated </em>
</p><p>
  <em> All tied up, no more love  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I’d hate to see you waiting  </em>
</p><p>His voice faltered as his throat closed in on itself, but Rae was there to pick back up where he failed. Shaky fingers came to grip the jewelry that made itself home on his wrist, pulling it back to reveal his timer. 2419286. All at once, the crushing weight of his anxiety lifted from his chest, allowing him to breathe once more. Tonight wouldn’t be the night. He wouldn’t see his soulmate in the crowd. </p><p>The song rounded off and Michael was the first to approach him, fiddling with the piece of equipment held in place by the stand in front of his mouth. </p><p>“Did the microphone stop working?” He asked and Corpse registered Rae’s hand on his back. </p><p>“No, my voice just-” Corpse was cut off by Poki. </p><p>“Are you okay, Corpse?” </p><p>“Y-Yeah, my throat is dry. That’s all.” He pulled away from them, ignoring the concerned stares of Dave and Jack to grab the bottle of water sitting in front of the drums. He downed the entire thing, watching his bandmates filter off the stage to allow their opener to do his soundcheck. It was a man named Ludwig, who usually performed acoustic ballads. Corpse didn’t know much about him but he definitely knew the guy was super fucking talented. He was a one-man act so they had all agreed to let him travel in their bus, though he usually kept to himself so Corpse hadn’t seen him around much. </p><p> </p><p>Soon after Ludwig started his own set, Corpse excused himself to the tour bus so he could “nap” before the concert started. For 30 minutes, he just laid on his back glaring up at the vent that blasted him with cold air the previous night. </p><p>“Corpse?” He held in the sigh when Lily’s high-pitched voice filled the once quiet bus. She peeked her head into the vehicle but once she saw he was still awake, she entered fully and closed the door behind her. She didn’t say anything, choosing to climb into the top bunk of the empty bed across from him. He didn’t look at her. </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” Corpse knew he could tell her what was wrong, and he wanted to, but his voice just wouldn’t cooperate with him. Maybe it was because they weren’t her issues, so why bother her with them. They were childish, anyways. “Is this about your soulmate?” His fingers twitched. </p><p>“I’m fine.” He grumbled, turning on his side to stare at the wall instead. She didn’t say anything after that and the rest of the band filtered in to do any last minute concert rituals they needed. They didn’t have to get ready for at least the next hour. And with that, Corpse fell into an uneasy sleep. </p><p> </p><p>The sound of thousands of people talking filled his head, unable to focus on whatever Scarra was saying. He was in his concert get up, a loose gray t-shirt with a black leather jacket pulled over, black skinny jeans, and black converse. His black face-mask and white eye patch pulled it all together as the singer the fans have grown to love. The theme for their concert uniforms were dark grunge and cat ears, so all the band members were wearing a mixture of blacks, reds, and grays. </p><p>“Let’s fucking do this.” Corpse smiled, allowing himself to get pulled into the group hug. Their opening act just finished and the lights dimmed, the roar of the crowd increasing as their name was called. With a deep breath, <em> holy shit this actually happening, </em>they ran out onto stage.</p><p>The stage lights blinded them, and the roar of the crowd was deafening, but it only boosted their adrenaline. Corpse ran center stage as his bandmates got into position, and cleared his throat into the mic. The screaming crowd quieted down as Corpse began to speak,</p><p>“Is everybody ready?”</p><p>The audience replied with enthusiastic screams, and Corpse smiled beneath his mask before screaming,</p><p>“Then PUT YOUR FUCKING CAT EARS ON!”</p><p>The cheers grew impossibly louder as the band started playing and Corpse started screaming lyrics into the mic. The audience screamed and sang along, not growing tired even as hours passed. The adrenaline rushing through their veins caused the concert to pass in a blur. Before they knew it, the concert was over. They stood on stage as the audience applauded and cheered, huge smiles on everybody’s faces. Rae stepped to the mic and reminded the audience of the post-concert meet-and-greet. The announcement was met with more cheers. Corpse was starting to wonder how everybody still had so much energy. The band moved off stage as the crowd continued to cheer. The moment they were out of sight, everybody collided in a group hug, shouting congratulations. They could only celebrate for a few minutes though, because they had to go see fans at the meet-and-greet. </p><p> </p><p>The meet-and-greet room was spacious, but packed to the brim with enthusiastic fans. Corpse was glad that they had a roped off path that they could walk through, otherwise he was sure they would have been suffocated. People fought for a place in line, in hopes of getting a picture with the band. They got through as many fans as they possibly could in the limited time that they had, but in the end they barely made a dent in the crowd. </p><p>Scarra came to force them backstage, where they changed into more casual clothing. They packed up their instruments and cleaned up their stuff from the venue before heading over to the merch booth and helping Yvonne clean up what was left. Yvonne didn’t really need their help though, as the merch was practically sold out, so they mainly just stood there distracting her though she appreciated the company nonetheless. Once all the merch was neatly packed away in cardboard boxes, everybody grabbed one and carried it to the tour bus. Not ready for the night to come to an end, Lily suggested going out to eat. Her idea was met with a chorus of yeses, as the group decided to head to McDonalds. Corpse hoped they wouldn’t run into too many fans, so they could just have a normal meal. His wish was granted, and the McDonalds was practically empty, except for two employees. They ordered an ungodly amount of nuggets and fries to go, and walked back to the tour bus. They sat in the bus lounge and hung out as they ate. Even once all the food was gone, they remained on the couches chatting late into the night. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, everybody grew tired, with Lily falling asleep on Michael’s shoulder, and someone yawning every five seconds. Slowly but surely, everyone retired to their respective bunks. Corpse was the last one to abandon the lounge, not looking forward to a night of tossing and turning and not getting even a wink of sleep. Reluctantly, he hoisted himself onto the top bunk, feet flailing a bit and accidentally hitting the curtain of the one below his. A voice that sounded like Dave’s protested, unamused, but Corpse just ignored him. </p><p>If he had been hoping the gentle sway of their tour bus driving along the highway would rock him to sleep, then he was shit out of luck. The flimsy blanket they had received was all but useless. He was freezing his ass off. He couldn’t be arsed to just get up and close the vent, and he had a feeling Dave wouldn’t appreciate him banging on his curtain as he manoeuvred his way around, either. And then, the cherry on top of the shitpile, it started to rain. There was a gap between the top of the bunk and the metal railing that held the curtains because <em> of course there was </em>. The isolated raindrops that fell on his face only soured his mood. </p><p>Then as he stared at the top of his bunk, in a sudden bout of inspiration, <em> lyrics </em> just started coming to his head. </p><p><em> 'Cause I can't do shit right, I can't learn my lesson.’ </em>He rolled around on the bed, thinking they would stop, but the words just continued.</p><p><em> ‘My friends probably hate me, can't answer a message.’ </em>He was never one to be ungrateful for free inspiration.</p><p><em> ‘Feelin' inadequate's always what's driving me.’ </em> After a couple minutes of this he gave up trying to sleep and unlocked his phone, opening the notes app. Three hours later, he had what could very well be the skeleton of a new song. He worked on the melody until it was daytime, and someone whipped open the curtains to his bunk to tell him to <em> get ready loser, cause they were going shopping. </em></p><p> </p><p>Over the next few days he continued polishing the song, no matter if they had just had a free day, or if they had just finished another performance. If he was going to present this to the band, then it had to be just <em> perfect </em>. He loved his friends and they deserved the very best.</p><p>All his effort was worth it, in the end. When they all gathered in their lounge after another successful show, Corpse asked them to listen to a demo he had recorded right into his phone. They loved it! Ludwig quickly grabbed his acoustic guitar and started to strum along. By the time they listened to the song the second time, Lily had picked up on the lyrics and began singing along, followed by rae. Jack mimed playing the drums, Dave played the air bass, Poki and Scarra nodded along with the music, and Michael took a set of pots and pans and helped them keep the beat. Corpse had a wide smile on his face. This really brought him back to how their early days had been, back when the band was just called The Cattery, and they all wrote their songs together just to have fun. The third, fourth, fifth time around they didn't need the demo track anymore. The ones that could have taken out their instruments were playing along, and the ones whose instruments were too big to maneuver inside the bus were making mental arrangements. This humble song he had written alone, at night while freezing and getting rained on, was very well on track to being a huge success.</p><p>Scarra pulled him aside while the rest took a break, so he could ask if he would like to make the song official. They had just enough time to book a recording studio, and they could even have a music video for it filmed on tour. To say Corpse was delighted about it would be an understatement. He agreed, and Scarra immediately began making the necessary arrangements. If everything went according to plan, then maybe <em> Agoraphobic </em> would drop while they were still touring.</p><p> </p><p>Dates blurred together as they traveled from city to city, selling out concert after concert. Everybody seemed to be in good spirits, with laughter and friendly conversation constantly filling the tour bus. Lily and Michael were usually seen cuddling and giggling, acting all romantic, much to the amusement of their friends. Poki dragged Rae along on multiple shopping trips, trying to get her to help with costumes. Scarra worked his ass off making sure everything went as smoothly as possible. Yvonne made sure their new merch would be available on time, as almost all of their old merch had been sold out. Jack would often hang out with whoever was being the most interesting, which changed with each day. Corpse noticed that Dave had been a little quiet, and sometimes separated himself from the group, but he wasn’t worried. The tour could be overwhelming at times, and everybody had hard days. They managed to perfect <em> Agoraphobic </em>, and recorded it during a free day. Scarra assured them that it would be edited and released as fast as possible. His goal was to be able to have the band perform it live on the same day that it officially dropped. </p><p> </p><p>The numbers etched into the skin of his wrist have all but been forgotten. The craziness that accompanied a tour consumed his mind. They had spent almost an entire month traveling to several different cities and now they were finally going to LA, the hub of all music. Corpse was proud of the fact that they’ve experienced very few hiccups (he’s had to endure endless teasing from when his voice cracked four cities ago) but just when they got into a comfortable routine, everything seemingly came crashing down. </p><p> </p><p>“I can’t do this right now.” Dave was refusing to look at any of them, opting to stare at his hands clasped between his legs. The pieces began to fall into place for Corpse, all those times his friend looked off or just downright depressed during performances. He should’ve seen this coming, and he should have prepared for it. “I’m really sorry, but my mental health-” </p><p>“Your mental health is more important than anything else. Don’t feel like you have to explain to us, Dave.” Corpse cut him off, wrapping an arm around his shoulders from the side. He could feel the tension relax in the other man as he finally looked up to meet his eyes. </p><p>“Yeah! Don’t worry Dave, we’ll find something.” Jack offered him a smile, the rest of the band giving their own assurances. The Brit stated he will still tag along for the tour, helping when he could, but he couldn’t handle performing on stage or meeting fans. It made Corpse happy he was willing to stay for the sake of supporting his friends, but he just hoped the man knew he didn’t have to come if that meant it ruined his mental health. </p><p>But, that didn’t mean the worry wasn’t there. Because holy fuck, they only had <em> twelve hours </em>to find a replacement bassist that knew all of their songs AND the Panic! at the Disco songs they would perform. The pressure was really on, and everyone was feeling it. </p><p> </p><p>That night, they sat there brainstorming solutions to their problem. They really didn’t want to have to play a bass track, Corpse feeling that was too ingenuine but he conceded to the idea if they exhausted literally every other idea. But just as the stress began to settle in, a lightbulb went off in Scarra’s brilliant brain, the man pulling out his phone with such urgency. </p><p>“Don’t worry guys, I have a friend in town who might know someone.” They all waited on the edge of their seats as the phone against their manager’s ears ringed. Just when Corpse thought it would go to voicemail, he heard it crackle to life and a voice filtering in through the other side. </p><p>“Hey Toast, it’s Scarra. We’re in desperate need of a replacement bassist for the rest of our tour, do you know anyone qualified enough for the job?” </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>feel free to leave us a comment! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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